For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. (Isaiah 8:11–14 ESV).
Fear Not, because there is a Conspiracy!
What do you think of conspiracies? Theories about them are more common today than mosquitoes. And maybe just as annoying. I once quipped, “I don’t believe in conspiracies… people just plan stuff.” If you listen to ‘the news’ you WILL hear about conspiracies today. Both sides claim the other side has them. All sides claim someone else is planning stuff.
And when my search for ‘fear not’ in God’s message to us brought the word CONSPIRACY to my eyes, I was uncomfortable. What is Isaiah saying, here? What is GOD saying here? Are conspiracies real? Are conspiracies worth fearing? Are conspiracies behind our present crises?
CONSPIRACY refers to behind-the-scenes reason(s) why things happen. Or might be happening. Or could be happening. Noting a conspiracy is both more and less than simply suspecting that a cabal of cigar-smoking (or Kale-eating) powermongers are controlling the press, economics, and government policy. Hunting for a conspiracy means that you don’t trust your eyes, your ears, and the news to be telling you what REALLY is happening… WHY things are happening… WHO is really the ACTOR in current events.
In Isaiah’s time, apparently some folk were afraid because they observed that society has puppet-masters. Things don’t just happen. Some people have more power than others. (Often hidden from public view.)
And knowing (or suspecting) those conspiracies is usually the same thing as fearing them. No one notes a conspiracy and says, “wow… cool! I feel SO much better knowing that someone is busy offstage!”
So Isaiah adds Conspiracies to the list of things we should not fear.
It’s like God had this era in mind when He inspired Isaiah’s speech. Because we live in a day of fear of conspiracy.
There IS a conspiracy! It’s God. Whether or not the Democrats or Republicans are up to something is irrelevant.
Because there IS a reason every single thing is happening. It’s God. The puppet-master, the planner, the driver of events, economy, and government policy is God Himself.
Interesting that in Isaiah’s paragraph we see instructions of “do not fear” and “fear.”
Isaiah doesn’t say there are NOT conspiracies. (as much as I want him to…)
He says there is a conspiracy that is WORTH fearing. Something behind the scenes unseen, unnoticed, with an agenda! An agenda that is purely and simply FOR HIS OWN GLORY. But also, according to Paul (and ALL of God’s Word) for the grand, glorious, GOOD of His People!
Fear it? Only in exactly the same way that we might be fearing the smaller conspiracies. But when we consider the commonly feared conspiracies, put them in the right perspective. What power THEY have, He has MORE! What skill they have, HE has MORE! What control THEY have, He laughs at and incorporates into HIS control.
So how does fearing HIM decrease our Fear?
Because those conspiracies are selfish, greedy, power-absorbing, and unknown.
But HIS conspiracy is love! Provision! ALREADY power! And known!
Look around you and suspect conspiracies if you wish… but let those searches remind you of HIM. Let those conspiracies (like EVERYTHING in creation!) point you to The One True Living God, Jahweh… known and approached and found through His Son, Jesus the Christ. The King behind the scenes and on the front of the stage!
Fear not, because He is THE conspiracy!